State rewards ‘top’ schools’ improvements

State education officials have rewarded 10 Terrebonne Parish schools and seven Lafourche Parish Schools for improving at some of the fastest paces in the state.

Matthew AlbrightStaff Writer

State education officials have rewarded 10 Terrebonne Parish schools and seven Lafourche Parish Schools for improving at some of the fastest paces in the state. The schools are what the Department of Education calls “Top Gains Schools.” To earn that designation, each school must do two things: grow its school performance scores by a pre-determined amount and increase the number of students showing proficiency in academic subjects.State officials announced Wednesday that schools that met those goals last year will each get $8,500.School performance scores are based largely on student test scores, though they also include measures such as dropout rates and school attendance. To meet its growth target, a school must improve its score quickly enough to be on pace to meet the overall goal of 120 — an “A” — by 2014. Schools must also improve on the percentage of students who test well enough to show they have the skills and know the material required for their grade level. The bar for improvement is set by the federal government’s “No Child Left Behind” program. About 440 of the state’s more than 1,500 schools met those targets, earning the “Top Gains” label.“We’re very proud of these schools for meeting these targets,” said Carol Davis, assistant superintendent in Terrebonne. “Many of these schools have been meeting these targets several years in a row, so it’s nice that the state is recognizing them.”Karen Gisclair, assistant superintendent in Lafourche, said each school would use the money for different purposes, bolstering areas that most need improvement. A school that does well in English but has lower science scores, for example, could purchase equipment for its science labs.“In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a whole lot of money. The honor is probably more important than the money,” Gisclair said. “But we’re very grateful for the money, and it will help our schools get some things they couldn’t afford if they hadn’t gotten it.”

Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.

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